Health Tourism Could Fetch Iran 7 Billion Dollars A Year

- The Iranian minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare has said that the country has a potential to earn $7 billion in revenues through attracting one million health tourists on a yearly basis. Health-tourism companies from more than 30 countries including the Netherlands, Germany, France, China, Canada, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania and Uzbekistan are supposed to collaborate with Iran in this regard. - 8/10/17

Regional countries to help Iran reshape medical tourism

- Iran has signed agreements with 13 neighboring countries with the aim of developing and reorganizing its medical tourism sector. The state-run Tourism Holding Company, affiliated with the Social Security Organization, is to unveil this week a comprehensive plan, which will be implemented with the participation of 22 hospitals and over 200 physicians, specialists, and surgeons. - 8/7/17

Poisonings Put Spotlight On Iran's Alcohol Problem

- Mass alcohol poisoning and related deaths have exposed an alcohol problem in the Islamic republic, where a ban introduced following the 1979 revolution has failed to prevent Iranians from drinking. Ninety-two people were poisoned, four fatally, after drinking in Sirjan in the southern province of Kerman, Iranian media reported on July 23. - 7/25/17

Houston surgeon set to visit Iran again under limited travel ban

- A Houston doctor is resuming his regular trips to Iran four months after President Donald Trump's Middle East travel ban led him to cancel life-saving operations on three unborn babies there. The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court this week to reinstate a limited portion of Trump's travel order will not affect Dr. Alireza Shamshirsaz's plans to return to Iran next month and perform fetal surgeries on four pregnant women, he said. -Houston Chronicle - 6/30/17

Iran starts construction of ion therapy center

- KARAJ - Iran began building its National Ion Therapy Center with Austrian help on Monday, in a 200 million Euros project which follow the country's landmark nuclear deal with six world powers in July 2015. - 5/16/17

Iranian researchers find way to treat long bone nonunion

- Iranian researchers at Royan Research Institute have proved in a study that the problem with long bone nonunion is related to mesenchymal cells. Long bone nonunion is a serious complication of a fracture in which the normal process of bone healing is interrupted or stalled. - 2/15/17

Amid travel ban uncertainty, Houston doctor cancels plans to perform life-saving fetal surgeries in Iran

- The doctor had waited as long as he could. Now, Dr. Alireza Shamshirsaz felt he had run out of time, and he needed to break it to them. He dialed in via Skype early this week, and there they were, staring back at him from Iran: The expectant parents whose babies almost certainly would die because he wouldn't be coming to operate on them. -Houston Chronicle - 2/11/17

Iran to unveil herbal medicine "Melitropic" for treating Alzheimer's

- The reIran's January 29 flight test of a medium-range ballistic missile helped prompt an ominous if ambiguous warning by U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn on February 1: "As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice." Since it is facing so many other international crises, it is curious that the new administration gives such a prominent place to Iranian missile testing, which poses no existential threat to the United States or its allies and is not prohibited by the Iran nuclear deal or any other widely accepted rules of international behavior.searchers at the Iranian Institute of Medicinal Plants used ancient and indigenous knowledge of the Iranian land in treatment of brain problems and conducted extensive research on the latest studies in the world on this subject to produce, for the very first time, a valuable herbal medicine that helps with treatment of Alzheimer's disease. - 1/23/17

Maternal mortality rate in Iran far below UN SDG target

- The maternal mortality rate in Iran is far below the target set by the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Safieh Shahriari-Afshar, a founding member of the Family Health Association of Iran (FHA Iran), told a press conference on December 27. - 1/4/17

Iranian researchers build brain stimulator tDCS device

- Iranian researchers at Amirkabir University have designed and developed brain stimulator transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) devices that can be used in treatment of Parkinson's Disease. - 12/19/16

Interview: Iranian American Physician Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh

- Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh M.D. is an Iranian American physician with a distinguished career in medicine and behavioral health. Dr. Vahabzadeh is a faculty member at the Harvard School of Medicine, he is the Director of Digital Health at neurotechnology company, Brain Power, where he also serves as site director for the San Francisco Bay Area, and he is also the former Chairman of the Council on Communications of the American Psychiatric Association. - 11/17/16

Tehran fights for breath while officials pass the buck

- While air pollution in Tehran has reached critical levels for seven days in a row officials keep shifting the blame onto each other. The air quality indices have surged up so much so that all healthy people are likely to experience irritation or discomfort while breathing as well as those with heart and lung condition. - 11/16/16

Heavy Air Pollution Closes Schools In Tehran

- Authorities in Tehran have closed schools on November 14 because of dangerous levels of pollution in the atmosphere. "Kindergartens and primary schools are closed on Monday [November 14] in Tehran and most of the cities of the province," the Education Ministry said, according to official IRNA agency. - 11/14/16

Thousands of artists appeal to Iranian President for tackling air pollution

- More than 5,700 Iranian artists issued an appeal to President Hassan Rouhani urging him to take serious measures to address air pollution in the country. The supreme council of the Iranian Artists Forum, comprising photographers, graphic designers, painters, sculptors, calligraphers, potters, and actors signed a letter to the president asking for immediate measures to minimize air pollution - 11/7/16

Iran unveils 4 biotechnology medicines expected to decrease outflow by $600M

- An Iranian pharmaceutical company has unveiled four domestically produced biotechnology medicines, leading to $600 million decrease in flow of money out of the country annually. - 10/30/16

Iran exporting 25 radiopharmaceuticals: Nuclear Chief

- Iran's atomic energy chief said in comments on Tuesday the country produces and exports 25 radiopharmaceuticals (a radioactive compound used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes) to Asian and European countries. "Currently, 25 radiopharmaceuticals are produced inside the country and exported to countries of Iraq, Egypt, and Germany," Ali Akbar Salehi told the press on the sidelines of the 10th national talent seminar. - 10/18/16

BOOK: Prozak Diaries: Psychiatry and Generational Memory in Iran

- Prozak Diaries is an analysis of emerging psychiatric discourses in post-1980s Iran. It examines a cultural shift in how people interpret and express their feeling states, by adopting the language of psychiatry, and shows how experiences that were once articulated in the richly layered poetics of the Persian language became, by the 1990s, part of a clinical discourse on mood and affect. - 10/12/16

Isfahan on track to become a city of bicycles

- Isfahan Municipality is arranging for the city to become a city of bicycles, an official with the Department of Environment has said. "Isfahan Municipality has initiated talks with the Dutch to develop the necessary technical infrastructure to turn the city into a city of bicycles," Mohammad Darvish said. Isfahan and Neishabur municipalities did best in creating bike lanes and cycling infrastructure, Darvish noted. - 10/2/16

Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei: Conveying a Message of Hope through Education

- PAAIA interviewed Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei to discuss their imprisonment in Iran, their ambitions to provide medical education to displaced Syrian refugee students, as well as their aspirations to inspire the next generation of students to become doctors. - 9/30/16

Opposition against Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) gains momentum in Iran

- Iran is seeing its most vociferous outcry yet over the use of genetically-modified ingredients in food production. Opponents of food products with GMOs have recently elicited fatwas from top clerics, declaring commercial sale and cultivation of genetically-altered crops "not permitted." - 9/26/16

Smoking ban in public places in Iran to go into effect from September 22nd

- Iran will start banning smoking in public spaces from September 22, a decade after a relevant legislation was ratified, IRNA quoted the secretary general of Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association as saying on Monday. "Smoking claims 65,000 lives in Iran annually," Masjedi regretted, an alarming figure that has to concern the public. - 9/21/16

Golden Cells campaign in Iran aims to promote stem cell donation

- "Golden Cells" is another public-led campaign in Iran with the aim of promoting stem cell donation. The campaign was initiated by those who have one way or another dealt with cancer and diseases that can be cured by stem cells and started to let others know about the stem cell bank, the campaign spokesperson Sameen Razavi told Fars news agency. - 8/31/16

Afghan Girl's Death Has Iranians Questioning Ban On Organ Transplants For Foreigners

- The death of a 12-year-old Afghan girl in Iran has prompted that country's health minister to publicly defend a national ban on organ transplants for foreigners that some were initially blaming for the tragedy. - 8/25/16

Iranian researchers develop new method for breast cancer treatment, replacing chemo

- Iranian researchers at Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, in Tehran, along with scientists at the country's Pastor Institute have conducted a study on effects of plasma in treating breast cancer. - 8/19/16

Iran's pharmaceutical ambitions are a Catch 22

- Iran's pharmaceutical industry has found itself in a catch-22. On the one hand, the country is trying to grow its pharmaceutical exports and attract investment in the industry. But on the other hand... -Chloe Pfeiffer, Business Insider - 8/19/16

Iran unveils definite medicine for migraine

- Iranian researchers at Pardis Technology Park have unveiled a definite medicine for migraine dubbed 'MigriHeal'. Dr. Ramezani, one of the researchers of the plan, said the drug is prescribed for people suffering migraine based on special protocols. - 8/16/16

Iran to eradicate hepatitis in 15 years: Official

- Hepatitis will be eradicated in Iran by the next 15 years, the director for communicable diseases department of the Health Ministry has said. Infected blood, infected syringe, infected food stuff and drinks, and high risk sexual behaviors are of the causes of the hepatitis, Tasnim news agency quoted Mohammad-Mahdi Gouya as saying on Monday. - 7/27/16

Medical errors, the tip of the iceberg of problems plaguing Iran's health system

- Ali Nasr, Iranian podiatrist based in Canada, with years of experience in Iranian hospitals says the surge of antagonistic public feelings surfacing against physicians following the death of Abbas Kiarostami is partly triggered by the lack of mutual trust in doctor-patient relationship in the country, and partly by the fact that the health and medical culture has not kept abreast of the times. - 7/26/16

USERN to bring Nobel Laureates in Medicine to Iran

- The first international congress of Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN) along with the first festival will be held in Tehran in November. Tehran will be a hub for scientists coming from around the world; notable among them is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012 Sir John B. Gurdon and one of the Abel Prize Laureates 2015 Louis Nirenberg from Canada - 7/26/16

Death of a Director: Medical Team Blamed For Death of Abbas Kiarostami

- Dariush Mehrjui, the director of the acclaimed drama "The Cow", has said that top Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami died because of his Iranian medical team's negligence. "The murderers are among us," noted Mehrjui who was weeping bitterly and asked the country's judicial authority to bring them to trial. - 7/14/16

Health Official Says Sexual Transmission Of HIV Rising In Iran

- A senior official in Iran's Health Ministry says sexual transmission of HIV is on the rise in the country, in part, because of taboos about discussing sex. Deputy Health Minister Ali Akbar Sayari said the share of HIV transmission through sexual intercourse had doubled during the past decade from 15 percent to 30 percent of all cases. - 7/14/16

Metabolic diseases in Iran five times global average

- According to IRNA, Shahla Farshidi has said that the number of affected children in Iran is five times more than that worldwide, calling consanguinity marriage - marriage of the same blood - the main reason behind rise of metabolic disease in Iran. - 7/11/16

Iran on verge of eliminating polio: Health Official

- Iran is close to eliminating Polio as no incidence of the disease has been reported in the country since 2000, the head of the communicable diseases department of the ministry of health said on Monday. - 7/7/16

Over 3,300 transplants carried out in Iran last calendar year

- More than 3,300 transplants were performed in Iran over the last Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2015- March 19, 2016), the director for transplant management department of Health Ministry has said. Some 2,500 of the surgeries are pertaining to kidney transplants, Kazemeini said, adding, 716 liver and 102 heart transplant surgeries were performed over the same period. - 6/29/16

WHO's Cancer Warning No Shock For 'Hot Tea'-Happy Iran

- The UN agency for cancer research wants everyone to cool it. A review of more than 1,000 studies indicated that drinking "very hot" beverages is "probably carcinogenic to humans," the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced on June 14. - 6/16/16

Urban air pollution killing seven million annually: WHO

- The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of rising air pollution in cities across the world, estimating that it is claiming the lives of seven million people every year. The dirtiest air was recorded at the Iranian city of Zabol, which suffers from months of dust storms in the summer - 5/12/16

Iranian dentist examines people on the street

- Shafi Ja'fari is a young dentist who visited and examined people around Enqelab square, central Tehran, for three hours on Thursday, ISNA news agency reported. What Ja'fari, a Tehran University graduate, did, was a symbolic act of criticism centered on the widespread ignorance of prevention. - 4/20/16

Iran's Struggle with Air Pollution

- Iran's pollution, a decades-old issue, has steadily increased in recent years, claiming lives and damaging healthy lungs. Iran's most recent official statistics concludes that, on average, one person dies of pollution-related causes in the capital, Tehran, every two hours. -Mehrnaz Samimi - 3/9/16

Iran to become Alzheimer's disease treatment hub: Scientist

- An award winning scientist says Iran will become an international hub for Alzheimer's disease treatment over the next six years. Postdoctoral Researcher at Harvard Medical School and winner of the US Alzheimer's Institute's research grant, Kourosh Shahpasand made the remarks during an interview with Mehr News Agency on Wednesday. - 3/3/16

Ahvaz air pollution skyrockets due to dust particles

- Officials in the city of Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran, say the concentration of dust particles in the city's air has risen to over 24 times the acceptable level. - 2/24/16

Prof. Samii: Iran to become world's neurology hub in 5-10 years

- TEHRAN - Professor Majid Samii, the internationally renowned neurosurgeon, has said that Iran will become the world's neurology hub within the next 5 to 10 years. "Given that the science and neurology center in Tehran will soon be completed, I'm pretty sure that many patients from all continents will refer to this center to receive treatment," Samii told IRNA news agency on Tuesday. - 2/18/16

Bandage made of crustacean shell helps rapid wound healing

- Iranian researchers at Tehran's Amirkabir University of Technology have developed a wound dressing using shell of crustaceans which would revolutionize healing of lesions. - 2/9/16

Nursing rep reveals challenging statistics for profession in Iran

- Ebrahim Mohammadi, the head of International Relations for Iran's Council of Nursing, reports that 7,000 nurses in the country are unemployed. Mohammadi told ISNA that currently 200,000 nurses are employed across the country and there is a need for another 130,000 nurses to be hired. - 1/23/16

Tehran air pollution takes fatal toll on disabled students

- The head of the Tehran Board of Special Education says three disabled students in Tehran have died due to severe pollution in the city. The state television network Seda va Sima reported on Saturday January 2 that the three students were hospitalized due to respiratory complications and later passed away in hospital. - 1/4/16

Stubborn air pollution forces emergency meeting, traffic reductions in Tehran

- With the persistence of severe air pollution in Tehran, the Department of the Environment called for an emergency meeting with the governor's office in the capital on Tuesday December 29. The committee decided to close all preschool and elementary schools tomorrow. Traffic rules that restrict which cars can be driven each day according to odd-numbered or even-numbered licence plates will be enforced on all streets rather than being limited to areas in the downtown core. - 12/31/15

Rare fetal surgery performed in Shiraz, Iran

- Surgeons at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences performed the second successful fetal surgery, which was unprecedented in other regional countries. The surgery was carried out in the Ghadir Mother and Child Hospital, the IRNA news agency reported. - 12/28/15

Pollution lingers over Tehran and other major cities in Iran

- In addition to Tehran, which has been suffering under severe pollution for the past 13 days, reports indicate that Tabriz and Isfahan have also been experiencing conditions of low air quality. - 12/25/15

Daily death rate rises in Tehran due to air pollution

- The secretary of Tehran City Council says rising pollution has increased the average number of deaths in the capital to 180 people a day. Tehran's air quality has been in the red-alert zone since last week, with the volume of air pollutant particles rising seven times beyond acceptable levels. - 12/23/15

Asian Cities Choking on Worsening Air Pollution

- Heavy smog on Tuesday shrouded the capitals of the world's two most populous countries. Air quality monitoring stations in Beijing and New Delhi displayed readings far exceeding the threshold for the highest-category hazardous level. A high pollution alert also prompted Iranian authorities in Tehran, Isfahan and Arak, to close all schools for two days from Sunday. It was the first such order since 2010. -Steve Herman, VOA - 12/22/15

Air pollution forcing Tehran schools to close for two days

- The Tehran Board of Education has announced that all Tehran schools will be closed on Sunday and Monday due to air pollution. ISNA reports that the head of the Board of Education announced on Saturday December 19 that all schools in Tehran and Shahr Rey at all levels will be closed for the next two days in response to heavy pollution. - 12/20/15

More Iranians Die From Swine Flu

- The Iranian Health Ministry says that 15 more people have died in the past five days in a swine flu outbreak that has affected some 900 people in Iran. The ministry said on December 15 that a total of 57 Iranians have died from the disease since mid-November. - 12/17/15

Tehran air pollution so bad it's dangerous for anyone to breathe

- Tehran air quality is reported to be very dangerous, with a red alert issued due to the increased concentration of pollutants. The concentration of particulates in Tehran air is now measured at 2.5 microns, which is seven times the acceptable level according to World Health Organization standards. - 12/15/15

Tehran Says 42 Have Died From Swine Flu During Past Month

- Iran's Health Minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi says an outbreak of swine flu has killed at least 42 people in the country during the past month, raising the death toll from the H1N1 virus by six in the last 24 hours. - 12/10/15

Some 22 people fall to H1N1 flu in Iran's Kerman province

- Some 22 people have died after contracting the H1N1 flu virus in Iran's southeastern province of Kerman. The health deputy of Kerman Medical University, Nozar Nakhaei, made the announcement late on Sunday, adding that most of the deceased had underlying chronic diseases before becoming infected, IRNA reported. - 12/7/15

The stunning paradox of Iran's war on drugs: How it actually makes America look worse

- Iran regularly puts drug traffickers to death--but it also tests out progressive policies for treating drug addicts -Daniel Denvir, Salon - 11/20/15

Iran can offer health services to regional market of 400 million: Minister

- Iran can manage to offer healthcare services to a market of more than 400 million people in the region, Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi said on Sunday, IRNA news agency reported. "In collaboration with its regional partners Iran's health system should become the health hub of the region," he stated. - 11/11/15

Tehran's Masih Daneshvari Hospital Ranks 3rd In World In Transplant Procedures

- Masih Daneshvari Hospital, located in north of Tehran, ranks the third in performing transplant procedures in the world, an official at the hospital said, the ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday. - 11/5/15

US eases medical sanctions against Iran

- The US government has eased its sanctions regime against Iran, allowing a broad list of medical supplies for exports to the country. In a statement, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it was revising restrictions imposed in 2012 on exports of basic medical supplies to Iran. - 11/3/15

Group reports discrimination against Iranians with HIV-AIDS

- An Iranian charity organization reports that students afflicted with HIV-AIDS are being expelled from schools and women suffering from HIV-AIDS are being laid off. - 11/1/15

Some 35,000 suffering from dystrophy in Iran

- The founder of the muscular dystrophy association of Iran, who herself is suffering from limb-girdle disease, has said that about 35,000 patients are fighting with the disease in Iran, ISNA reported on Tuesday. Many of these patients do not know the dystrophy association or are not even correctly diagnosed with the disease, Ramak Haidari noted. - 10/29/15

The Public Health Impact of the Iran Nuclear Deal

- Dr. Ali Lotfizadeh and Dr. Mohsen Malekinejad, two doctors and public health professionals affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, wrote an Op-Ed about the Iran Nuclear Deal's effect onhealth in Iran and its implications around the globe. - 10/15/15

World's biggest insulin maker invests in Iran

- Denmark's Novo Nordisk is investing 70 million euros in Iran for the production of a new generation of insulin drugs, officials from the two countries say. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Food and Drug Organization of Iran (FDO) to build a manufacturing plant in the next two years, FDO head Rasoul Dinarvand said on Tuesday. - 9/22/15

Iran: Report says interference waves now less intense

- Iran's minister of transportation has announced that the report on the effects of interference waves has been forwarded to the Supreme Council of National Security. Many critics have challenged the state's use of interference waves to block or censor satellite programming, calling it a serious threat to people's health. - 8/20/15

Iran to build specialized nuclear hospital: Salehi

- Iran has launched a plan to build a major specialized nuclear hospital in the near future, says the country's nuclear chief. "Work will soon get underway to construct it (the hospital)," said Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, adding the plan has been given the all-clear by President Hassan Rouhani as well. - 8/17/15

Iran's Royan institute achievement in treating cerebral palsy, polio by cell therapy

- Iran's Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology researchers obtained great achievements for treatment of children suffering cerebral palsy and polio. The researchers applied cell therapy method for treatment of children's cerebral palsy, said Head of the research center Hamid Gourabi. - 8/3/15

Genetically Modified Crops Growing In Iran Amid Lax Laws

- Iran imports $5 billion of genetically modified (GM) crops a year despite government restrictions on the production of biotech products, local media said on Monday. In the absence of clear regulations, the Ministry of Agriculture has approved repeated imports of GM crops such as rice, soybeans, rapeseed and edible oil "with prior knowledge", a review by the ministry's Behzad Qareyazi says. - 7/9/15

Iran ranks 21st in terms of scientific productions in biotechnology

- The latest report released by the Scopus, the world's largest abstract and citation database, shows that the Islamic Republic has achieved this international ranking in 2014 by offering 3,957 products in the field of biotechnology. - 7/8/15

World yoga day celebrated as practice grows in Iran

- Millions of people across India gathered to mark the first International Yoga Day by engaging in mass yoga sessions, but reports indicate that the celebrations triggered tensions in some part of the country. - 6/22/15

Vast majority of Iranians don't get regular exercise

- Iran's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports warns that only about 20 percent of Iranians incorporate exercise and sports activities in their daily lives. IRNA reports that a ministry spokesman expressed concern regarding the small percentage of the population engaging in daily exercise, saying that in most countries, at least 60 percent of the population have exercise as part of their daily routine. - 6/19/15

Iranian scientists create world's first hybrid heart valve

- Two Iranian scientists have successfully created the first hybrid tissue-engineered heart valve with the use of a metal alloy. Hamed Alavi, PhD, and Arash Kheradvar, MD, PhD, from the University of California in Irvine, developed the new valve, which can become a replacement for current valves thanks to its durability, the Mehr news agency reported on Monday. - 6/13/15

Iranian scientists unveil domestically made surgery robot

- Iranian scientists have unveiled the first domestically made high precision remote surgery robot. Avicenna, specifically designed to carry out laparoscopic operations, was unveiled during Iran's Second International Innovation and Technology Exhibition (INOTEX 2015) on Tuesday. - 6/10/15

Iran is opening 150 alcoholism treatment centers, even though alcohol is banned Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google Plus Share via Email More Options Resize Text Print Article Comments 3

- The Iranian government is stepping up its attempts to tackle alcoholism, a senior health ministry official told the ISNA news agency on Monday, with more than 150 outpatient alcohol treatment centers slated for opening in the near future, six of which will also have facilities for inpatient detoxification. -Adam Taylor, Washington Post - 6/10/15

Iranian Health Ministry Interferes In Nursing Elections

- After a year of protests by the nursing community in Iran and the issuance of open letters and petitions, the ministry of health is now declaring a large number of nurses ineligible to participate in the College of Nursing elections. - 6/8/15

NIAC Welcomes Resumption of Services for Iranian Physicians by ECFMG

- National Iranian American Council (NIAC) welcomes the resumption of services for Iranian physicians by the the Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), the primary organization that verifies educational credentials for Iranian physicians seeking to practice in the U.S. and Canada. - 6/6/15

Update on ECFMG Sanctions Issue Impacting Iranian Physicians in U.S.

- Since news broke that the Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates ("ECFMG") has suspended processing requests from Iranian physicians regarding authenticating medical credentials, NIAC has been in contact with ECFMG, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") to urge a speedy resolution to this pressing issue. - 6/5/15